Chapter 19: Memories
[Notification: You have obtained Sea Soul Crystal ×12 (These are condensed crystals formed when giant transcendent sea beasts die in the deep sea, their souls subjected to the dual pressure of sea pressure and demon sea power. Sea Soul Crystals are favored by witches and nobles, often made into transcendent items or valuable accessories).]
[Notification: As this item was purchased with Demon Sea Gold Coins, it has been certified and can be taken out of this world.]
Su Xiao continued scrolling up through the notifications. Earlier, when he wiped out that second-rate pirate crew, although he didn't get a treasure chest, killing the pirate captain had earned him 0.7% of the World Source.
Aside from the World Source gains, Su Xiao also obtained 5 points of Legendary Prestige.
The amount of Legendary Prestige gained was within the expected range. As for the World Source, it was less than anticipated, possibly because this world had so many powerhouses. Those second-rate pirate crews were as numerous as carp crossing a river.
Now wasn't the time to reap the benefits, but it was close. Su Xiao took a metal disc from his storage space. It was about the size of a plate. He pulled out an engraving knife, infused it with mental energy, and began carving on the metal disc.
Across the table, Winnie had calmed down. The more she thought about what just happened, the more frightened she became. Although she wasn't sure exactly what was going on, based on the clues she had, she realized she had actually taken the gold coins and obediently gone to buy the Sea Soul Crystals?
Winnie took a deep breath and began silently praying, hoping she hadn't told the other party how to use the Sea Soul Crystals. Those memories were a bit fuzzy; without using "Spiritual Recall," she couldn't even remember them herself.
Spiritual Recall was Winnie's biggest secret. She suffered from a strange congenital condition—everything she saw, heard, even tactile sensations and smells, were all firmly etched into her brain, without missing a single detail.
In reality, this was indeed a congenital condition called hyperthymesia. Patients would indiscriminately remember everything they encountered.
Hyperthymesia had many side effects. Winnie was lucky; a witch had discovered this about her and helped resolve the hidden dangers of hyperthymesia, turning it into a powerful ability.
After passing on her knowledge to Winnie, that witch had "sealed" part of Winnie's brain.
This made Winnie's memory very poor, sometimes comparable to a fish's memory. Things she didn't care about would be forgotten seconds after seeing them, while things she cared about could be selectively remembered.
If Winnie used her Spiritual Recall ability, she could even remember the taste of breast milk, when she lost her baby teeth as a child, or the face of a random passerby from years ago.
Winnie closed her eyes and began Spiritual Recall. Soon, she sensed that the memories about how to use the Sea Soul Crystals hadn't been recalled in years. Those memories were safe.
Confirming this, Winnie regained her confidence. Although the other party now had the Sea Soul Crystals, they would still have to ask her how to use them. She could then offer to help create a temporary container for the Sea Soul Crystals, one that would be destroyed after a single use.
This way, she would have value. Having value meant she could survive—this was a truth Winnie had learned from years drifting at sea.
Winnie wasn't trying to blackmail him; she wanted cooperation. Her feelings were complicated now. She was both afraid to stay on the Doom Number and not very eager to leave. This ship held too many secrets and would expose her to numerous transcendent beings.
As a witch, how could Winnie not want to gain stronger transcendent power? Only by being strong enough could she protect herself. Simple escape was useless; Winnie had understood this when she was fifteen.
Staying temporarily on the Doom Number without signing a blood contract wouldn't bring a curse. Thinking this, Winnie's mind began to stir. Risk and opportunity coexisted, and she now had bargaining chips.
"I can help you create..."
Wave~
A ripple spread from the metal disc in Su Xiao's hand, and the air filled with the aura of the Demon Sea.
"What did you say?"
"I said... I'm very good at cleaning ships. Your ship is so big, and the captain's cabin hasn't been cleaned in a long time."
Winnie stared at the metal disc in Su Xiao's hand. She was screaming inside, desperately wanting to know how Su Xiao had created a container for the Sea Soul Crystals.
Su Xiao manipulated the metal disc in his hand, letting it settle down. He had only released the unique fluctuation of the Sea Soul Crystal. This was easy for him to do—"Alchemy: Basic Chapter: Crystal Energy Emission and Consumptive Use."
The current problem was that the "Demon Sea Aura" emitted through the Sea Soul Crystal had a limited range, about 1,000 meters in diameter. After the cursed people landed on the island, they could only move within the range of the "Demon Sea Aura."
Each Sea Soul Crystal could maintain the "Demon Sea Aura" for about an hour. Bubu Wang could carry this metal disc and hide in the shadows, following the cursed people as they moved.
"You want to stay on the Doom Number?"
"Yes, I belong to this ship."
Winnie said words that made her conscience ache.
"Up to you."
Su Xiao stopped paying attention to Winnie. This woman still had secrets. When he used the Nightmare God's Blood to influence her earlier, she had seemed almost brainless, with a memory span of only about 6 to 7 seconds. That was very abnormal.
If her memory was that poor, how did she remember all those inherited knowledge fragments? Baha had asked about this while she was in a dazed state, and Winnie's answer was strange.
Her exact words were: "I can't remember clearly, but I remember."
This kind of nonsensical way of speaking was very much Winnie's style. She couldn't remember those inherited knowledge fragments, yet she "remembered" them. This was contradictory.
It felt like writing something down in a notebook, then forgetting most of it, needing to flip through the notebook to recall it again.
If Winnie's brain was compared to a notebook, then Winnie had the ability to flip through the notebook—no, to flip through her own memories.
But this required a prerequisite: she had to store everything deep in her brain. Otherwise, there was no way to flip through her own memories. Without "writing it down" in the "notebook," she couldn't "flip through" it. That was common sense.
"Hyperthymesia must be painful. Who helped you solve that problem?"
Hearing Su Xiao's words, Winnie looked confused. But at that moment, her heart nearly stopped.
"'Flipping through' your own memories probably doesn't feel good. More than that, I want to know—can you flip through other people's memories?"
Su Xiao's smile gradually became friendly. Everything he said was speculation, but after he mentioned hyperthymesia and described its specific symptoms, Winnie's heart rate jumped from "86 beats/min" to "109 beats/min."
She suppressed it well, but she was still too green. The eyes are the window to the soul, and the heart is the true reflection of the soul.
"I... can!"
After saying this, Winnie clenched her fist under the table. A strange thrill rose in her heart. She felt that from now on, she might have to become a bad person.
"Good. From now on, you're responsible for cleaning the Doom Number. Clear the table and clean up the dishes."
"Okay."
Winnie rolled up her sleeves, tied her blonde hair back, and began clearing the tableware. Following the principle of not wasting, Amu had already eaten all the food on the table.
Everything was ready. Now, they just needed to return to Minguang Island and inlay the Cursed Stone onto the [Black Crow Ring].
Baha hung a lantern at the ship's bow. A dark vortex appeared in front of the Doom Number, and the ship sailed into it, returning to Minguang Island.
...
On Sunken Ship Island, inside a large castle with a vast footprint.
In the bright banquet hall, only the sound of utensils clinking could be heard. A man with a small mustache sat at the head of the table. He wore noble attire. Though past thirty, he exuded the charm of an adult male, every move revealing a noble's elegance and strictness.
This man was named Hubbard Burn, but most called him Baron Burn. Although the title system had long been abolished, the Burn family's ancestor—his great-great-great-grandfather—had been a baron.
That baron had been the vice-captain of the Doom Number's fifteenth captain. Although he had died from curse erosion in less than a month, he was still the vice-captain of the Doom Number. This fearsome reputation was enough to intimidate many.
Therefore, Hubbard Burn didn't mind being called Baron Burn. In fact, it sounded pleasant to him. It was the glory of his ancestors—his ancestor had been the captain (vice) of the Doom Number. This fearsome name made Baron Burn respected by pirates.
Baron Burn put down his fork, looking troubled. Sunken Ship Island was his territory, and every month he had to pay 45% of his total income to the Great Pirate: Duke. Recently, Duke seemed to be on the verge of war with the Empire, which filled Baron Burn with worry.
If war broke out between the two sides, Sunken Ship Island would become one of the three supply islands in the buffer zone. That was a very bad situation.
"Hasn't the person you're waiting for arrived yet?"
Baron Burn looked at the two people on the right side of the dining table. One wore full-body armor, and the other was a young boy.
"He'll show up soon."
The armored man spoke in a deep voice. The food in front of him was untouched, clearly showing he didn't trust Baron Burn.
"Duke is looking for you."
A cold female voice came from outside the door. The people in the banquet hall looked over. It was a woman in a white robe with a hood. She was the third assassin waiting in the Demon Sea.
The armored man silently stood up and walked out of the banquet hall, leaving only the white-robed woman and the young boy.
No one noticed that a crow was perched on a tree branch in the courtyard. It was a crow with pitch-black eyes.